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Story highlights
A doctor found the little girl in a trash bin in Pakistan's Swat Valley
Her face and arms were severely burned
Her caretaker named her Shakira, which means thankful
Shakira arrived in Texas last week for reconstructive surgery
She has eyelashes but no eyebrows. She has all her fingers but is missing four nails. Her skin is so taut now that she can no longer frown.
But she can still smile.
Her face tells a story of suffering. Her name, Shakira, tells a story of a new journey.
Shakira means thankful.
Last week, 4-year-old Shakira arrived in the United States for what her caretaker, Hashmat Effendi, hopes will be the start of the rest of her life.
Shakira, discovered with severe burns in Pakistan, will undergo reconstructive surgery in January.
She will never look fully normal, but Effendi hopes the surgery will make it easier for Shakira to grow older and help others see what Effendi has seen all along: an effervescent bundle of love.
In 2009, Effendi was on a medical mission with Texas-based House of Charity in Pakistan's Swat Valley. The region's natural beauty was once compared to Switzerland's, but by then it was a Taliban-infested area rife with violence.
One of the doctors found three little girls left in a trash bin.
"Who are they?" the doctor asked.
Nobody knew.
Where were their parents? Where were they from?
All anyone could say is that there had been a U.S. drone attack, though U.S. officials say that drones have never struck targets in Swat.
It was not known how the girls came to be where they were but one thing was clear: they'd suffered horrific injuries.
The doctor, who was traveling with House of Charity, took them back to a clinic. They were in grave condition. Two of the girls died, but the littlest one had a chance of making it if she were treated right away.
She was only a year old, Effendi guessed, but small for her age. She was skinny. Dirty. Very bloody. She had fresh burns all over her face, her scalp and on her arms.
Effendi began searching for the little girl's family. She needed their consent before doctors operated on her. But when no one stepped forward, doctors proceeded anyway to treat the burns. Otherwise, they would have to amputate her arm. Otherwise, she might not survive.
Effendi named her Shakira.
"Life," she said, "was a gift for her."
Effendi continued to look for relatives, even scattered posters of Shakira everywhere and solicited the help of the Pakistani army and a government official. But still, no one claimed her.
Shakira was finally taken to Shalimar Hospital in Lahore, where she spent the next three years in a charity ward. Until last week.
Effendi was finally able to bring Shakira back to Houston, where Effendi lives.
When the Qatar Airways flight landed, Shakira turned to Effendi, whom she calls Mummy.
"Are we in America?" she asked.
"Yes," Effendi replied.
Shakira put her hands together and clapped.
On the plane, Shakira had learned to count from 1 to 27 in English. It was a good start, Effendi thought.
House of Charity has helped thousands of children with congenital birth defects or those who have been disfigured in war, but Shakira was special.
Effendi raised three sons, who are grown. Her house once again filled with the mirth of a youngster.
"She's like my tail," Effendi said. "She follows me around all day."
She took Shakira to McDonald's. Shakira gobbled up chicken nuggets. She learned that in America, chips were called French fries and tomato sauce was ketchup.
Effendi was ironing her clothes Tuesday when Shakira ran up to her.
"Mummy, do you love me?" she asked. "How much?"
"This much," Effendi said, gesturing.
Shakira ran into the bathroom, stood in front of the mirror and started screaming.
It was then that Effendi realized Shakira was overwhelmed.
She had gone that day to meet her doctor, Robert McCauley, at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston. He volunteered to do the reconstructive surgery.
Shakira arrived in a turquoise striped dress, black leggings and white lacy socks. She wore beads around her neck and a big pink ring that House of Charity volunteer Larry Maxwell gave her. She called him "Nana," the Urdu word for grandfather.
At the hospital, Shakira touched McCauley's coat buttons; the nurse's stethoscope. She referred to McCauley as her doctor and understood as best a child could that he was trying to make her well.
"It's not easy and it's not a single-day procedure," McCauley said about the surgery. He will start January 16 with her right hand.
He will never be able to give her eyebrows or restore the missing nails on four of her fingers. Sometimes, when Shakira eats spicy food, her flesh feels raw and irritated. She will have to always be careful about that.
He will never be able to fix the severe discoloration on her forehead. But he hopes to reconstruct her nose, fix her eyes.
Shakira took it all in stride at the hospital. But it was that sense of belonging and being loved that was alien for her, Effendi realized. It was overwhelming.
"She needs security," Effendi said. "Yesterday was a very emotional day for her."
Effendi had been working with children for 25 years. But Shakira was teaching her new things.
Effendi hopes Shakira will be adopted by a family in the United States. It would be unfair, she said, to send Shakira back to Pakistan. She has no one there.
For now, Shakira will adjust to life in America in Effendi's home.
Effendi may never know where Shakira came from or who claimed her as a daughter.
But she knows she was able to give Shakira new life – and a name that could not have been more fitting.


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As we all know, Facebook is a platform through which people from far and near get connected and interact with each other.
And one way through which people connect is the buying and selling of products with one another. Facebook has recently added the marketplace feature, which is one that has exploded on the platform.
This marketplace is a convenient and easy location where you can buy and sell items around you and far away.
People who want to buy are allowed to preview items on sale and search for any item of their choice.
What Does the Facebook Marketplace App Do?
The Facebook Marketplace App is a digital marketplace where several different users from around and far away can come together to trade, buy and sell items.
However, after the marketplace serves as a place where sellers showcase the items and prices, and buyer preview these items and engage in discussion with the seller, but every other transaction is therefore continued outside the app. This marketplace lets you to;
1. Look for items to buy.
2. Discover items on sale by location or class.
3. Create images and listings of items you have for sale.
4. Set custom prices and items for your products.
5. Send messages to buyer or sellers in order to proceed with transactions.
6. Have a view of the previous transaction that has taken place.
The Facebook app does not actually take responsibility for managing the transactions for items, users and customers are the ones to work that out by themselves.
Who Can Use the Facebook Marketplace App?
The Facebook Marketplace App is now available and open to iPhone and Android users of about 18 years and above.
Anyone who has engaged in this before is definitely able to testify that this marketplace is free to sell, buy and trade products.
However, the marketplace for desktop and PCs is not yet, but it is pinned on the ground to an uncertain time though.
How to Use Facebook Marketplace App
1. Browse the Marketplace
2. Open your Facebook on your phone.
3. At the top of the app, click on the Store icon.
4. Click on "Categories" at the top.
5. Select the type of item you want to view.
6. Browse the marketplace for the item you want.
7. Click on your preferred item to get more details.
8. Click on "ASK FOR DETAILS".
9. If you are really interested in the product and want to purchase it, click on "Message".
10. Click on "Save".
Sell on the Marketplace
1. Open the Facebook app and click on the Store icon at the top of the page.
2. At the top left side, click on "Sell".
3. Select a type or category for the product you want to sell.
4. Add the images of the items you have on sale.
5. Type a title for the item.
6. Enter the price of items.
7. Click on "NEXT".
8. Make a choice of the groups you would like to advertise your marketplace to
9. Click on "POST".
That is it on Facebook Marketplace App – Facebook Business Near Me | How to Use Facebook Marketplace App. Please share!!!

subset: commoncrawl


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VIDEO: Halbert, union leaders discuss city employee benefits
The leaders of the Memphis police and fire unions say they will sue the city over changes in employee health insurance approved this month and are prepared to add pension changes to the litigation if the council approves those changes next month.
"From my point of view, the administration has left us no choice but to try to make changes through litigation," said Thomas Malone, president of the Memphis Fire Fighters Association on the WKNO-TV program "Behind The Headlines." "We feel like on some of the proposed pension changes – we feel like that it's a violation of the law."
Memphis Police Association president Mike Williams agreed.
"Most definitely there's going to be litigation," he said on the same program. "More than that, I am concerned about the safety of the citizens."
The program, hosted by Eric Barnes, publisher of The Daily News, and including Memphis City Council member Wanda Halbert, can be seen on The Daily News Video page, video.memphisdailynews.com.
The council approved the health insurance changes last week that essentially take the city subsidy out of health care insurance and raise premiums for employees by 28 percent. The council votes in July on pension plan changes that put all city new hires and city employees with under 10 years of service into a defined contributions plan similar to 401(k) retirement plans that many in the private sector have.
City employees and municipal union leaders argue such a change in pension plans is unfair because city employees don't contribute to and are not covered by Social Security.
Savings from both sets of changes go toward increasing the city's annual contribution toward a $551.9 million unfunded pension liability that, by state law, the city has six fiscal years to fully fund at $78.3 million a year.
The city currently makes an annual required contribution of $20 million a year. Actuaries, consultants and the Tennessee Comptroller's office have said the low post-recession funding of the pension plan has made the plan unsustainable and that the health insurance plan is also unsustainable.
Halbert was among those on the council who voted against the health insurance change and the city's budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. She says changes are needed, but she argued the slope of those changes is too severe and ignores other areas where there could be savings, including big ticket capital projects funded by bond debt.
"It didn't happen overnight so why in the world would we attempt to fix this overnight?" she said. "It's impossible."
Meanwhile, Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong appeared to part company with Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. as the weekend began.
Armstrong told reporters he hopes the council will reverse the health insurance changes.
"Certainly anything that is done could be undone. And we certainly hope that at the conclusion of the process that some of the things done will be overturned," Armstrong said Friday, June 20. "There is a process. You have to respect the process. Certainly I don't necessarily agree with the decision the council made. … At the end of the day we are going to continue to do our job."
But Armstrong was not specific about whether he was talking about an immediate reversal of last week's council decision on health insurance or something more gradual, like a pledge to change such benefits if and when the city's financial position improves.
"We've been through a lot in the three years I've been here," Armstrong said of his tenure as police director. "Certainly this is another something that we didn't expect."
But the council and mayor have been moving toward a vote on some kind of changes since April when Wharton presented his budget to the council. The council and mayor have been discussing changes to health insurance coverage and pension plan changes since last year's budget season was jolted by a letter from Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson questioning and criticizing the city's financial stability.
During that discussion, council members have talked with Wharton and Armstrong separately, making it clear that the council would be weighing decisions in the current budget season that moved further into changes in public safety spending and benefits.
Armstrong said the changes are having an impact on morale in his ranks and making it hard to recruit officers. Police got a new recruit class of 99 in the new fiscal year to come but 165 officers have left the force in the current fiscal year.
"At the end of the day, my message is that we took an oath. … regardless of what happens on this end, there won't see a citizen that should suffer for that," he said. "You have to understand that I am going to maintain a professional attitude throughout this. I am going to insist that they maintain a professional attitude through this."


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This case is before us on error to the supreme court of Washington. 38 Wash. 126, 80 Pac. 295. It was submitted to the state courts on an agreed statement of facts, and involves the question of the liability of the land of the plaintiff, now plaintiff in error, to taxation for the year 1904. He is a Puyallup Indian, and claims exemption under and by virtue of the treaty of December 26, 1854. 10 Stat. at L. 1132. That treaty provided for an allotment of land in severalty to such members of the tribe as were willing to avail themselves of the privilege, on the same terms, and subject to the same regulations, as were named in the treaty with the Omahas. [203 U.S. 146, 147] The latter treaty, March 16, 1854 (10 Stat. at L. 1043), authorized the President to issue a patent for any allotted land, 'conditioned that the tract shall not be aliened or leased for a longer term than two years; and shall be exempt from levy, sale, or forfeiture, which conditions shall continue in force until a state constitution, embracing such lands within its boundaries, shall have been formed, and the legislature of the state shall remove the restrictions. . . . No state legislature shall remove the restrictions herein provided for without the consent of Congress.' Under this treaty, on January 30, 1886, a patent to the plaintiff was issued. One of the facts agreed upon is the following:
In 1889, Washington was admitted as a state. Its first legislature enacted:
In 1893, Congress passed an act (27 Stat. at L. 612, 633, chap. 209) authorizing the appointment of a commission with power to superintend the sale of the allotted lands, with this proviso:
Construing these several acts, the Secretary of the Interior, [203 U.S. 146, 148] on February 14, 1903, wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, summing up his conclusions in these words:
Mr. Walter Christian for plaintiff in error.
Messrs. Walter M. Harvey and Charles O. Bates for defendant in error.
Statement by Mr. Justice Brewer:
Mr. Justice Brewer delivered the opinion of the court:
In the brief filed by the plaintiff in error no question is made of his right to sell and convey the land. The supreme court of the state, in its opinion, says: 'It is conceded that the Indians may now sell their lands voluntarily and convey a title in fee, and that thereupon the lands so sold are subject to taxation in the hands of parties not Indians.' [38 Wash. 129, 80 Pac. 296.] But the contention is that although he has the power of voluntary sale [203 U.S. 146, 149] and conveyance, yet, until he has exercised that power, the land is not subject to taxation or forced sale. His argument rests mainly upon the contention that there is no express repeal of the exemption provided in the original treaty, 'from levy, sale, or forfeiture.' That Congress may grant the power of voluntary sale while withholding the land from taxation or forced alienation may be conceded. For illustration, see treaty of January 31, 1855, with the Wyandotts (10 Stat. at L. 1159, 1161). But while Congress may make such provision, its intent to do so should be clearly manifested, for the purpose of the restriction upon voluntary alienation is protection of the Indian from the cunning and rapacity of his white neighbors, and it would seem strange to withdraw this protection and permit the Indian to dispose of his lands as he pleases, while at the same time releasing it from taxation,-in other words, that the officers of a state enforcing its laws cannot be trusted to do justice, although each and every individual acting for himself may be so trusted.
But further, by the act of February 8, 1887, plaintiff became and is a citizen of the United States. That act, in addition to the grant of citizenship, provided that 'Indians to whom allotments have been made shall have the benefit of and be subject to the laws, both civil and criminal, of the state or territory in which they may reside.' Re Heff, 197 U.S. 488 , 49 L. ed. 848, 25 Sup. Ct. Rep. 506.
Among the laws to which the plaintiff as a citizen became subject were those in respect to taxation. His property, unless exempt, became subject to taxation in the same manner as property belonging to other citizens, and the rule of exemption for him must be the same as for other citizens,-that is, that no exemption exists by implication, but must be clearly manifested. No exemption is clearly shown by the legislation in respect to these Indian lands. The original treaty provided that they should be exempt from levy, sale, or forfeiture until the legislature of the state should, with the consent of Congress, remove the restriction. This, of course, [203 U.S. 146, 150] meant involuntary as well as voluntary alienation. When the state was admitted and its constitution formed, its legislature granted the power of alienation 'in like manner and with like effect as any other person may do under the laws of the United States and of this state, and all restrictions in reference thereto are hereby removed.' What restrictions? Evidently those upon alienation. The Indian may not only voluntarily convey his land (authority to do that is provided by the use of the word 'grant'), but he may also permit its alienation by any action or omission which, in due course of law, results in forced sale. Congress postponed the operation of this statute for ten years. When the ten years expired ( and they had expired before this tax was attempted to be levied) all restriction upon alienation ceased. It requires a technical and narrow construction to hold that involuntary alienation continues to be forbidden while the power of voluntary alienation is granted; and it is disregarding the act of Congress to hold that the Indian having property is not subject to taxation when he is subject to all the laws, civil and criminal, of the state.
We see no error in the ruling of the Supreme Court of the state of Washington, and its judgment is affirmed.
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Citation: 203 U.S. 146
Docket No: No. 53
Decided: November 19, 1906
Court: United States Supreme Court
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Mars Express to rendezvous with Martian moon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists and engineers are preparing ESA's Mars Express for a pair of close fly-bys of the Martian moon Phobos. Passing within 100 km of the surface, Mars Express will conduct some of the most detailed investigations of the moon to date.
The series of fly-bys will take place between 12 July and 3 August. During the second encounter, the spacecraft will fly within 273 km of the surface. Six days later, Mars Express will close to within just 97 km.
Although the Red Planet itself has been studied in detail, very little is known about the origins of its moons, Phobos and Deimos. It is unclear if the moons are actually asteroids that were captured by Mars's gravity and never left its orbit. Another possibility is that Phobos and Deimos are actually surviving planetesimals, bodies which formed the planets of the Solar System. They may also be remnants of an impact of a large object on Mars.
As Mars Express closes-in on Phobos, the data gathered will help scientists answer these questions.
Mars Express has flown close to Phobos in the past, but this is the first time that the spacecraft will be less than 100 km from the moon. To achieve this proximity to Phobos, spacecraft operations engineers and scientists have been working together to optimise the trajectory of Mars Express to obtain optimum science results – this is not the case for routine fly-bys.
As it flies by at a distance of 97 km, Mars Express will image areas of Phobos that have never been glimpsed before. The High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board the orbiter will take pictures of the moon's surface with the highest resolution possible, in colour, and in 3-D.
The data obtained will be added to a digital terrain model (DTM). This DTM will help scientists visualise what it would be like to stand on the moon's surface by calculating its topography, or the elevation of its surface.
The camera may also capture an image of the intended landing site for Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission, due for launch in 2009. The manoeuvres required to observe this site are an operational challenge, and the activity involves close cooperation between ESA mission scientists, the flight control team and flight dynamics specialists.
The Visible and Infrared Mineralogical Mapping Spectrometer, OMEGA, the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer, PFS, and the Ultraviolet and Infrared Atmospheric Spectrometer, SPICAM, will also gather details on the surface composition, geochemistry and temperature of Phobos.
The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) will collect information during two flybys (23 and 28 July) on the topography of the moon's surface and on the structure of its interior.
The Energetic neutral atoms analyser, ASPERA will study the environment around Phobos, in particular the plasma that surrounds the moon and also the interaction of the moon with the solar wind.
During the second fly-by, all efforts will be concentrated on accurately determining the mass of the moon using the Mars Radio Science experiment (MaRS).
Provided by ESA


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Only household trash should be thrown in your trash cart, preferably bagged. Bagging helps keep your cart clean and reduces wind blown litter. Do not place yard waste, brush, or any construction debris in your cart. Automotive parts, tires, hazardous waste, hot ashes and corrugated cardboard are also prohibited. You should place recyclables in the labeled recycle bin for collection.
Search specific materials through the Waste Wizard.
Show All Answers
The Town will make a one time pick-up of boxes at no charge for new residents. You must break down all boxes. Request pickup online or call Customer Service at (919) 362-8676 to schedule a pick-up date. The night before your scheduled date, place the broken-down boxes curbside. All packing materials should be placed in your recycling bin or cart.
Call the North Carolina One-Call Center at (800) 632-4949 or 811 to have your utilities marked with paint (generally within 48 hours of the call).
Contact Customer Service at (919) 362-8676 to report missed collection, or complete the online form linked here.
Call Customer Service at (919) 362-8676 or request a new cart with this online form. They will repair or replace your cart and/or bin.


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Source: www.youtube.com
Introducing a revolutionary new concept… a cell phone you can CARRY WITH YOU. Sure, you have to wind it up and add plutonium, but it's worth it. Ah, the early 90's.
We've come a long way in 20 years!
Original post: Retro Commercial – Radio Shack Cell Phones – 1990


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Since its near destruction from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, Saint John's Health Center has been on a mission to complete its state-of-the-art facility.
Through the backing of the community, Saint John's has managed to raise funds and gather the support needed to redesign and construct its beautiful new buildings.
Now, after a nearly 20 year journey to rebuild, Saint John's has completed its construction.
To celebrate, Saint John's is welcoming its beloved community to the grand opening of the new Mullin Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 12-4 pm with a Community Open House and Health Fair.
For this momentous opening, Saint John's is offering the community several free screenings, giveaways and much more.
Additionally, tours of Saint John's OR, Catheterization Lab, Women's Health Department, Chapel and VIP Caritas Suites will be offered to the public.
Children are also welcome to the opening with complementary face painting, arts and crafts and snacks.
Participants will enjoy free services including demonstrations, vital health information and massages.
Along with booths about services and departments at Saint John's, the Health Fair will also include tables hosted by several community groups, including the Benjamin Center, YWCA Santa Monica/Westside, the Arthritis Foundation, WISE & Healthy Aging, Meals on Wheels West and the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC).
Saint John's will also be hosting a Blood Drive at the event where participants will receive a free mini physical along with two movie tickets for giving blood.
While walk-ins are welcome, donors can also pre-schedule a time to give blood by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com or calling 310.829.8025.
Guests are encouraged to utilize the free event parking located on 21st Street between Santa Monica and Broadway as well as complementary bike valet on Santa Monica Boulevard, next to the event entrance.
The Big Blue Bus Line 1 also offers users two stops at 20th Street and 22nd Street. Guests are also encouraged to walk to the event.
More information about this event can be found on Saint John's website at www.newstjohns.org/Upcoming_Events/Community_Open_House/Community_Open_House.aspx.


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This article uses JDK8 to demonstrate how to configure the JDK path in Talend Studio.
Talend Studio requires a JDK installation on your machine instead of JRE only to build Jobs. You must configure the JDK path from the Installed JREs window in Talend Studio before building Jobs. Otherwise, the target archive file will not be created.
For more information on how to select the correct JDK version according to your Talend product version, see the Talend installation documentation on Talend Help Center.


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Ignore Syrian Rebels' Threats – OpEd
By Ivan Eland
Syrian rebels, in a stalemated conflict with the autocratic Bashar al-Assad, predictably are trying every trick to suck more help out of the United States. They are using the same tactic that developing nations used against U.S. policymakers during the Cold War to get more money and assistance: fear of takeover by extremists. The new bogeymen after 9/11, however, are radical Islamists instead of communists.
The argument goes something like this: Assad's demise is inevitable, and post-Assad Syrians would be more friendly to the United States if it provides more assistance to their rebellion now. Using Western military assistance to Libya as a model, the fragmented Syrian rebels want the United States to provide arms for their forces, air cover for a no-fly zone to defend and protect rebel areas against Syrian government attacks by air, and offensive air power to complement insurgent ground attacks against the government. Right now, the Obama administration is providing only limited overt "non-lethal" communications and medical equipment and is covertly vetting opposition groups so that countries such as Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia can provide them weapons.
If the United States fails to provide such Libya-like assistance, the rebels' argument is that Syrians will be enraged at the United States and that the civil war will last longer, both radicalizing Syrians to extremism—read: radical Islamism. Many conservatives and neoconservatives, trying to win points in the election against President Barack Obama (and perhaps because some actually believe it), are parroting the rebels' line.
Obama, for now, is not taking the bait—likely because any escalation would run big risks before an election in which he still has the advantage. Of course, this calculus could change dramatically after the election, no matter who wins.
However, better reasons exist for Obama—or Romney, should he be elected—to avoid being baited into entrapment in the Syrian civil war. The most important reason to eschew Libya-like escalation is not risk before an election but that the ultimate outcome might resemble that of … well … Libya.
Before and during Western military intervention in Libya, the question was always asked, "What will replace the autocratic dictator?" The interventionists assured us that anything was better than the evil Moammar Gadhafi (who had been demonized by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s but had spent the last decade trying to mend fences with United States, including giving up his nuclear program and helping the U.S. torture terror suspects). Really? We now have a weak post-Gadhafi Libyan government that has to rely on friendly, armed militias—among the many running around Libya—for protection. The post-Gadhafi chaos is so bad that a mob and a radical Islamist militia attacked the U.S. embassy, and the militia apparently killed the ambassador. Contrary to the aforementioned argument made by the Syrian rebels, American assistance to Libyan rebels didn't bulletproof the United States against such horrible eventualities. Such an attack would probably not have happened under Gadhafi's iron rule. Now, the security situation in Libya is so bad that the FBI was long delayed in going from Tripoli to Benghazi to investigate the diplomatic crime scene and could only do a brief visit guarded by U.S. Special Operations forces.
As in Libya, the key question has always been what will replace Assad. Yet post-Gadhafi Libya may look good compared to any post-Assad Syria. In Libya, many tribes have rivalries with each other, and their militias are armed to the teeth. In Syria, the ethno-sectarian lines are similar to those of post-Saddam Iraq—and we all know what a bloody mess that was. Already in Syria we have a similar raging conflict between the Sunni opposition and the Shi'ite (Alawite) ruling order. Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurds, with the help of the Iraqi Kurds, are stockpiling arms for a second civil war after Assad is toppled in the ongoing first civil war. The Syrian Kurds are especially frightened of the majority rebel Sunnis.
Any U.S. military assistance to topple Assad—whether the provision of arms to the rebels or active military intervention—will merely fuel the likely subsequent civil war. Even worse, if the vetting of rebel militias obtaining weapons is imperfect—which it is likely to be in this chaotic situation—the United States could end up inadvertently aiding the radical Islamist groups it so fears. We must remember that al-Qaeda was spawned from U.S. aid to the "Afghan freedom fighters" in the 1980s, which seemed like a great idea at the time, to give the Soviet Union its Vietnam, but ended in the first mass casualties on U.S. soil from foreign attack since the War of 1812.
But the inadvertent disastrous consequences of U.S. meddling in Afghanistan during the 1980s and Iraq and Libya more recently (which probably haven't even played out fully yet) don't seem to have dissuaded the interventionists one bit from advocating another adventure in Syria. After the election, tragically, we may see that "non-lethal" assistance is only the camel's nose under the tent to an escalation of U.S. interference in Syria.
This article was published at MWC News and reprinted with permission.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
The COVID-19 vaccine teaches your immune system to recognize the coronavirus. When you get the vaccine, your immune system makes antibodies ("fighter cells") that stay in your blood and protect you in case you are infected with the virus. You get protection against the disease without having to get sick.
When enough people in the community can fight off the coronavirus, it has nowhere to go. This means we can stop the spread quicker and get a little closer to ending this pandemic.
Show All Answers
This short video explains how COVID vaccines are made
You may see some rumors and untrue ingredients listed online or in social media. These are generally myths. The ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccines are pretty typical for vaccines. They contain the active ingredient of mRNA or modified adenovirus along with other ingredients like fat, salts, and sugars that protect the active ingredient, help it work better in the body, and protect the vaccine during storage and transport.
See this Q&A webpage from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for more information about ingredients. You can also find the full ingredients lists in the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson fact sheets.
A messenger RNA, or mRNA vaccine is a new type of vaccine. mRNA vaccines teach your cells how to make a harmless piece of the "spike protein." The spike protein is what you see on the surface of the coronavirus. Your immune system sees that the protein doesn't belong there and your body will start to build an immune response and make antibodies. This is similar to what happens when we "naturally" get a COVID-19 infection.
Although we have used mRNA for other types of medical and veterinary care in the past, creating vaccines using this method is a huge leap forward in science and may mean future vaccines can be created more easily.
You may read more about how mRNA vaccines work on CDC's website, or watch this video from Dr. Paul Offit at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
This type of vaccine uses a weakened version of a different virus (the "vector") that gives your cells instructions. The vector enters a cell and uses the cell's machinery to create a harmless piece of the COVID-19 spike protein. The cell displays the spike protein on its surface, and your immune system sees that it doesn't belong there. Your immune system will start to make antibodies and activate other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. Your body learns how to protect you against future infection with COVID-19, without you having to get sick.
Like other routine vaccines, the most common side effects are a sore arm, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.
These symptoms are a sign that the vaccine is working. In the Pfizer and Moderna trials, these side effects occurred most often within two days of getting the vaccine, and lasted about a day. Side effects were more common after the second dose than the first dose. In the Johnson & Johnson clinical trials, side effects lasted an average of one to two days.
For all three vaccines, people over 55 were less likely to report side effects than younger people.
Clinical trials found that approximately:
You may see some rumors about untrue side effects online or on social media. Make sure any time you see a claim about a side effect that you check the source of that claim. This video can teach you more about how to figure out if a claim online is true or not.
The vaccine should not be given to people with a known history of severe allergic reaction, such as anaphylaxis, to a previous dose of an mRNA or viral vector vaccine, or to any ingredient of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson–Janssen COVID-19 vaccines.
People who have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies may still be able to receive the vaccine. However, providers should do a risk assessment and counsel them about potential risks. If the patient decides to get the vaccine, the provider should observe them for 30 minutes to monitor for any immediate reactions.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that providers observe all other patients for at least 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine to monitor for an allergic reaction. See ACIP's interim clinical considerations for mRNA vaccines for more information.
Yes. People who are pregnant, lactating, or planning to become pregnant may choose to get the vaccine any time.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend you talk with your health care provider about whether the vaccine is right for you. While safety data on the use of COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant people is limited, the information we have is reassuring.
If you would like to speak to someone about getting the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, please contact MotherToBaby. MotherToBaby experts are available to answer questions in English or Spanish by phone or chat. The free and confidential service is available Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (local time). To reach MotherToBaby:


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But I've never really found a code review tool for Eclipse that worked how I wanted. The holy grail of review tools (well - my holy grail anyways) was to have a tool that works much like MS Word's review feature. Where you can add and see comment in a margin on the right of the document. At ElementRiver, since we didn't find one that had that feature, we wrote one ourselves.
This editor is currently part of our beta SourceMate plugin for Flash Builder 4, but we plan on pulling it out into an independent product. It is designed to work with any language that Eclipse supports.
- Comments are added and updated all on the right margin. You never have to switch contexts (i.e. switching editors, looking down at a view, etc). It all done with your code front and center.
- Comments are color coded by reviewer and each color can be customized.
- Comments are shown in the code itself, in the right hand comment margin, and in the smaller overview ruler.
- Comments can be marked resolved. When resolved, comments are still shown but they're faded out.
- and more


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Nati Srebro and Shai Ben-David have a paper at COLT which, in the appendix, proves something very striking: several previous error bounds are always greater than 1.
Background One branch of learning theory focuses on theorems which
- Assume samples are drawn IID from an unknown distribution D.
- Fix a set of classifiers
- Find a high probability bound on the maximum true error rate (with respect to D) as a function of the empirical error rate on the training set.
Many of these bounds become extremely complex and hairy.
Current Everyone working on this subject wants "tighter bounds", however there are different definitions of "tighter". Some groups focus on "functional tightness" (getting the right functional dependency between the size of the training set and a parameterization of the hypothesis space) while others focus on "practical tightness" (finding bounds which work well on practical problems). (I am definitely in the second camp.)
One of the dangers of striving for "functional tightness" is that the bound can depend on strangely interrelated parameters. In fact, apparently these strange interrelations can become so complex that they end up always larger than 1 (some bounds here and here).
It seems we should ask the question: "Why are we doing the math?" If it is just done to get a paper accepted under review, perhaps this is unsatisfying. The real value of math comes when it guides us in designing learning algorithms. Math from bounds greater than 1 is a dangerously weak motivation for learning algorithm design.
There is a significant danger in taking this "oops" too strongly.
- There exist some reasonable arguments (not made here) for aiming at functional tightness.
- The value of the research a person does is more related to the best they have done than the worst.


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Wholesale Sneakers To Sell Online
Discover everything you need to easily run your online dropshipping business. And it's free!
Why Sell Sneakers Online?
The footwear industry is estimated to make $320.44 billion by 2023 selling sneakers appealing to entrepreneurs. You can expand your sneaker business to include socks and laces as upsells for your store. Remarketing to your store's customers can also be worthwhile as people who wear sneakers daily can wear out their shoes in a few months. Thus, if you stay in touch with customers regularly you can help lower your advertising cost. Sneakers also have different target customers. For example, you can market to people who wear them for exercise or to others who wear them for comfort.
There are lots of best places to sell sneakers online including:
- Craigslist
- eBay
- Kixify
- Grailed
Why Dropship Sneakers Online?
It can be more worthwhile to dropship instead of wholesale sneakers. Some sneakers can cost you $50-$150 a pair depending on the quality. Thus, you'll need to have a large enough budget to offer product and size variety while also having a high cost of goods. If you dropship, you can offer a wide selection of prices. Also, as a dropshipper you only buy shoes once a customer has ordered making it less risky. Also, if you spend the money you would've used to wholesale the shoes on marketing, you'll likely make more money over the long-term.
Discover how to successfully sell anything online and make money selling sneakers today.
Who Are the Main Distributors of Sneakers?
Distributors at Oberlo offer a variety of different sneakers. Sneakers are usually available in a range of different shapes that are suited to different running styles or sports activities. The customers who are interested in purchasing sneakers that are specifically designed for running tend to go for flatter and more flexible varieties, which allows them to run quicker and with enhanced comfort levels. There are many styles and types of sneakers available, which include running sneakers, casual sneakers, sneakers with velcro, athletic sneakers, and even sneakers with LED lights. Additionally, there are also sneakers available for every age group, including for infants and toddlers, which typically have cute shapes, colors, and prints. In the last 15 years there have been great changes in the design of sneakers. Even though the classic black or white sneaker is favored at times, distributors offer a tonne of color options to the customers.
Who Are the Main Manufacturers of Sneakers?
Manufacturers of sneakers are located mainly in China (Mainland). The raw materials used for sneakers generally consist of a combination of materials. The sole of the sneakers have three layers, insole, midsole, and outsole. Sneakers are typically made of a soft material and are worn for sports or casual occasions. Even though they are primarily designed for sports or other forms of exercise they are now also often used for everyday wear. Typically, the sole of sneakers are made of rubber or synthetic material and the upper part is made of leather or synthetic materials. The demand of sneakers is highest in the markets of North America, Western Europe, and Northern Europe.
What Platforms Can I Use to Dropship Sneakers?
Shopify has many marketplaces that enable you to find sneakers to sell online.
What's more, some marketplaces automatically select the cheapest shipping method for you. Since some suppliers offer several shipping methods, you can click on the shipping option and choose your preferred one.


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Exploratour - Life on Earth
This tour is a detailed look at life on Earth, and what we know about how it came to be. To proceed with the tour, just click on the forward indicator in the button at the top right portion of this page.
If you had to explain to someone what "life" is, what would you tell them? Do all living things move? Do they eat and breathe? Even though we all seem to know what is meant by saying something is "alive", it's not very easy to describe what "life" is.
After many years of studying living things, biologists have
determined that all living things, do
share some things in common. Therefore, in order for something to be considered to "have life" as we
know it, it must possess these characteristics:
1) Living things need energy
2) Living things grow and develop
3) Living things respond to their surroundings
4) Living things reproduce
5) Living things reproduce and pass their traits onto their offspring
6) Over time, living things evolve (change slowly) in response to their
We will discuss some of these things in the pages that follow.
This is page 1 of 20


text: Attention: Beneficiary, We wish to inform you that the UN / WORLD BANK ORGANIZATION facilitated a round-table meetings which just ended some days ago, and it has been agreed upon that a compensation payment of US$2,500,000.00 should be paid to scammed individuals whose Name and E-mail have been chosen through an open E-mail ballot system.Your name were included and that is why we have contacted you. Also, this includes every foreign contractors that may have not received their contract sum and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international businesses that failed due to Government problems etc. Also, we have been receiving complains from beneficiaries informing us that they are yet to receive the payment due to scams emanating from Africa as well as some financial institution, MR. JIM OVIA e.t.c. Due to high rate of complains by beneficiaries henceforth, MR. JIM OVIA is no more incharge to make any foreign payment and we will like to get you informed that you will not be receiving your payment through Bank Drafts due to illegal Bank Drafts circulating everywhere and in view of this, beneficiaries are to receive their payments via ATM CARD through our correspondence payment center in Africa affiliated with INTERCONTINENTAL PAYMENT CENTER. However, it is my pleasure to inform you that your ATM CARD no: 4000101025717299 have been reserved for you which contains your certified amount.So you are hereby advised to contact our payment representative in Africa affiliated with INTERCONTINENTAL PAYMENT CENTER with your payment code:6312.You are advised to contact DR.IBRAHIM OKOKOof our paying center in Africa, as he is our representative in Africa,contact him immediately for your payment.This meeting was first held on the 8th of April 2003. You can view this page for your perusal: http://www.un.org/News/Press/ docs/2003/ik344.doc.htm Therefore,you should send him your full Name and telephone number your correct mailing address where you want to receive your payment(ATM CARD): CONTACT PERSON: DR.IBRAHIM OKOKO E-MAIL: dribrahimokoko at barid.com You are required to contact the above person for your ATM Card, and furnish him with the following of your information that will be required to set-up the card in your name 1. Your Full name: 2. Your Country: 3. Contact Address: 4. Telephone Number: 5. Fax Number: 6. Marital Status: 7. Occupation: 8. Sex: 9. Age: 10. A Copy Of Your Identity Attached To E-Mail Meanwhile, your Secret Pin Number will be e-mailed to you electronically for security reasons as soon as you confirm the receipt of your ATM CARD. Congratulations, and I look forward to hearing from you as soon as you confirm your payment Making the world a better place. Regards, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. http://www.un.org/sg/ NB: Dealing with MR. JIM OVIA is at your own risk


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This article originally appeared in the March/April 2014 print issue of Food Manufacturing.
The Food Safety Update section of Food Manufacturing is designed to offer our readers insight into the state of food safety concerns across the industry. We received hundreds of responses to this month's survey on HACCP Planning.
The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system was developed in the 1960s by the Pillsbury Corporation, the National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA) and the U.S. Army to provide safe foodstuffs for the first manned space missions. The food manufacturing industry began implementing HACCP widely since the 1970s to ensure food safety. HACCP is now endorsed by the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization of the United Nations.
With the signing of the Food Safety Modernization Act in early 2011, the Food and Drug Administration mandated preventative controls closely modeled after the HACCP plans that meat, poultry, seafood and juice facilities have been required to use since the late 1990s. Many food manufacturers along the product spectrum are developing HACCP plans at the request of their customers, often grocery chains, and to meet third-party certifications. Deadly pathogen outbreaks and food allergies in the ever-widening food supply system have encouraged manufacturers to get their data in line should they be called upon to prove they acted responsibly.
Nearly 68 percent of respondents to a Food Manufacturing survey said a commitment to food safety prompted the development of a HACCP plan in their facility, followed by 53 percent who were cued by regulatory requirements. Nearly 40 percent of respondents said customer demands were a major motivator in HACCP development.
Instituting a new system can be a challenge in an often constant production environment. Forty-five percent of respondents said they faced confusion over determining what constitutes a critical control point (CCP). A critical control point is a specific point, procedure or step at which control can be exercised to reduce, eliminate or prevent the possibility of a food safety hazard.
The second most-frequent challenge in HACCP planning was confusion over regulatory requirements, cited by 36 percent of respondents. Another 24 percent had difficulty justifying the expense of HACCP plan development. Roughly 20 percent noted difficulty with employee buy-in. Twenty percent also encountered conflicting advice from consultants.
Several respondents said that the time required to develop, document and to implement the plan was a challenge. Others noted that determining the hierarchy in implementing CCPs was onerous. Alternate exacting tasks in HACCP planning included satisfying all the customers that audit the company, as well as varying CCP requirements from different customers.
Nearly half of respondents said they initially consulted internal QA/QC experts when developing their HACCP plan. Almost 43 percent employed consultants in the process. Thirty-seven percent inquired with government agencies. Respondents also named employees, customers, universities and equipment vendors as resources to a lesser extent.
Dedicating time to develop a HACCP plan can save effort down the road in case of a recall or to assure customers, as well as consumers, that food from a plant is safe.
One-third of respondents said they spent three to six months developing a HACCP plan. Nearly 27 percent spent zero to three months on the process and nearly 23 percent spent six to nine months on HACCP plan development. Just 17.5 percent took nine months or more to develop a plan for their facility.
But HACCP planning doesn't end once a strategy is initially developed. Nearly 52 percent of respondents said that HACCP plans are a living document that is constantly open to revision. Thirty percent of respondents said they revise their plan once a year. Just more than eight percent revisit the plan less than once annually. Six percent revise HACCP twice a year and three percent revise it quarterly.
Input from various sources helps survey respondents shape their ongoing HACCP plans.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that internal QA/QC experts were key to effective HACCP planning in their facility. Government agencies were also vital resources for nearly 47 percent of respondents. Customers supplied support to roughly 48 percent of respondents. Employees aided 38 percent in revision, while consultants assisted 25 percent of respondents.
It seems that the effort respondents put into HACCP construction and revision is well worth it. Approximately 56 percent said they were satisfied with their facility's HACCP plan. Another 32 percent considered themselves very happy with their plan. However, roughly 9 percent said the plan needs adjustment/improvement, and four percent were skeptical of the HACCP planning process in general.
The facilities of most respondents to the survey, 65 percent, did not develop HACCP plans that required more tailored HACCP planning guidance, like those that produce poultry, meat, seafood or juice. However, 35 percent of respondent's facilities did.
The passage FSMA had a mixed effect on facilities' HACCP plans. Fifty-three percent of respondents said FSMA did not cause them to change or update the plan, while 47 percent said it prompted revisions.
Food defense and emergency response, which is designed to protect food from intentional adulteration by biological, chemical, physical or radiological agents, is a vital aspect of FSMA. Food defense runs the gamut from physical plant and information security to restricting access to ingredients and chemicals and hazardous materials on site. Nearly 51 percent of respondents said they already incorporated food defense vulnerabilities into their plans. Another 26 percent are evaluating the incorporation of these vulnerabilities into their plan. About 21 percent said they plan to incorporate them, while almost seven percent said they will not.
The majority of respondents, 34 percent, were operating facilities with fewer than 50 employees. Twenty-two percent operated facilities with 101-250 employees, and roughly 17 percent each operated plants with both 50-100 employees and 251-500 employees. Just 5.3 percent of respondents employed more than 1,000 at their locations, and roughly five percent had 501-1,000 employees.
Follow Holly on Twitter at @foodmfged. For more food industry news and information, subscribe here and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.


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Leon TrotskyThe Permanent Revolution &
Along with the theory of "combined and uneven development", one of Leon Trotsky's major contributions to Marxist thought was the theory of "permanent revolution". The first is the idea that a backward country does not need to pass through the same sequence of stages already achieved by advanced countries. It can combine elements of both backward and advanced countries and leads to the idea of the permanent revolution. The expression "permanent revolution" was borrowed from the Address of the General Council to the Communist League, 1850, by Marx and Engels. Trotsky wrote: "The permanent revolution, in the sense which Marx attached to this concept, means a revolution which makes no compromise with any single form of class rule, which does not stop at the democratic stage, which goes over to socialist measures and to war against reaction from without; that is, a revolution whose every successive stage is rooted in the preceding one and which can end only in complete liquidation."
The theory of permanent revolution was first formulated in the wake of the 1905 Russian Revolution as an attempt to explain what class would need to lead the coming revolution in Russia. Trotsky agreed with the other Russian Marxists that it would have to initially be bourgeois-democratic in character in order to accomplish such tasks as the overthrow of the Tsarist regime and the transformation of agrarian relations. In Results and Prospects, Trotsky took this idea a step further and analyzed how the conditions unique to Russia meant the working-class would need to join the peasantry to overthrow the capitalist class. Trotsky outlined the theory of permanent revolution from his cell while awaiting trial for his participation in the Petersburg Soviet of 1905. Some 24 years later, The Permanent Revolution (1929) was written in response to an attack on the the theory by Karl Radek, a Soviet journalist and former Left Opposition member who advocated Stalin's theory of "socialism in one country". It's purpose was to clarify the relationship between Trotsky's and Lenin's perspectives on class relationships and objectives of the Russian revolution in the international arena.
Succinctly, Trotsky wrote: "The Perspective of permanent revolution may be summarized in the following way: the complete victory of the democratic revolution in Russia is conceivable only in the form of the dictatorship of the proletariat, leaning on the peasantry. The dictatorship of the proletariat, which would inevitably place on the order of the day not only democratic but socialistic tasks as well, would at the same time give a powerful impetus to the international socialist revolution. Only the victory of the proletariat in the West could protect Russia from bourgeois resoration and assure it the possibility of rounding out the establishment of socialism." – Sally Ryan
- Preface to the Re-Issue of This Work Published in Moscow in 1919
- [Introduction]
- 1. The Peculiarities of Russian Historical Development
- 2. The Towns and Capital
- 3. 1789 – 1848 – 1905
- 4. Revolution and the Proletariat
- 5. The Proletariat in Power and the Peasantry
- 6. The Proletarian Regime
- 7. The Prerequisites of Socialism
- 8. A Workers' Government in Russia and Socialism
- 9. Europe and Revolution
- 10. The Struggle for Power
- Introduction to the First (Russian) Edition
- Introduction to the German Edition
- 1. The Enforced Nature of This Work and Its Aim
- 2. The Permanent Revolution is Not a "Leap" by the Proletariat, but the Reconstruction of the Nation under Leadership of the Proletariat
- 3. Three Elements of the "Democratic Dictatorship": Classes, Tasks and Political Mechanics
- 4. What did the Theory of the Permanent Revolution Look Like in Practice?
- 5. Was the "Democratic Dictatorship" Realized in Our Country? If so, When?
- 6. On the Skipping of Historical Stages
- 7. What Does the Slogan of the Democratic Dictatorship Mean Today for the East
- 8. From Marxism to Pacifism
- 9. Epilogue
- 10. What is the Permanent Revolution? Basic Postulates
Last updated on: 15.4.2007


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"The Refiner's Fire," Ensign, May 1979, 53
The Refiner's Fire
Coming to this pulpit is always a very humbling responsibility. I seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and pray that what I have to say will be guided by the Spirit and that it may abundantly rest upon all of us so that you might understand also by that special spirit.
I wish to speak this morning to all, but especially to those who feel they have had more trials, sorrows, pricks, and thorns than they can bear and in their adversity are almost drowned in the waters of bitterness. My message is intended as one of hope, strength, and deliverance. I speak of the refiner's fire.
Some years ago president David O. McKay told from this pulpit of the experience of some of those in the Martin handcart company. Many of these early converts had emigrated from Europe and were too poor to buy oxen or horses and a wagon. They were forced by their poverty to pull handcarts containing all of their belongings across the plains by their own brute strength. President McKay relates an occurrence which took place some years after the heroic exodus: "A teacher, conducting a class, said it was unwise ever to attempt, even to permit them [the Martin handcart company] to come across the plains under such conditions.
"[According to a class member,] some sharp criticism of the Church and its leaders was being indulged in for permitting any company of converts to venture across the plains with no more supplies or protection than a handcart caravan afforded.
"An old man in the corner … sat silent and listened as long as he could stand it, then he arose and said things that no person who heard him will ever forget. His face was white with emotion, yet he spoke calmly, deliberately, but with great earnestness and sincerity.
"In substance [he] said, 'I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here, for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Handcart Company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that company and my wife was in it and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited was there, too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church, because everyone of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.
"'I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it.'" He continues: "'I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there.
"'Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company.'" (Relief Society Magazine, Jan. 1948, p. 8.)
Here then is a great truth. In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner's fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this way the divine image can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, godly whisperings of the Divine Shepherd.
Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner's fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process.
In our extremities, it is possible to become born again, born anew, renewed in heart and spirit. We no longer ride with the flow of the crowd, but instead we enjoy the promise of Isaiah to be renewed in our strength and "mount up with wings as eagles" (Isa. 40:31).
The proving of one's faith goes before the witnessing, for Moroni testified, "Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" (Ether 12:6). This trial of faith can become a priceless experience. Stated Peter, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7). Trials and adversity can be preparatory to becoming born anew.
A rebirth out of spiritual adversity causes us to become new creatures. From the book of Mosiah we learn that all mankind must be born again—born of God, changed, redeemed, and uplifted—to become the sons and daughters of God. (See Mosiah 27:24–27.)
President Marion G. Romney, speaking for the Lord, has said of this marvelous power: "The effect upon each person's life is likewise similar. No person whose soul is illuminated by the burning Spirit of God can in this world of sin and dense darkness remain passive. He is driven by an irresistible urge to fit himself to be an active agent of God in furthering righteousness and in freeing the lives and minds of men from the bondage of sin." (In Conference Report, 4 Oct. 1941, p. 89.)
The feelings of being reborn were expressed by Parley P. Pratt as follows:
"If I had been set to turn the world over, to dig down a mountain, to go to the ends of the earth, or traverse the deserts of Arabia, it would have been easier than to have undertaken to rest, while the Priesthood was upon me. I have received the holy anointing, and I can never rest till the last enemy is conquered, death destroyed, and truth reigns triumphant." (Journal of Discourses, 1:15.)
Unfortunately, some of our greatest tribulations are the result of our own foolishness and weakness and occur because of our own carelessness or transgression. Central to solving these problems is the great need to get back on the right track and, if necessary, engage in each of the steps for full and complete repentance. Through this great principle, many things can be made fully right and all things better. We can go to others for help. To whom can we go? Elder Orson F. Whitney asked and answered this question: "To whom do we look, in days of grief and disaster, for help and consolation? … They are men and women who have suffered, and out of their experience in suffering they bring forth the riches of their sympathy and condolences as a blessing to those now in need. Could they do this had they not suffered themselves?
"… Is not this God's purpose in causing his children to suffer? He wants them to become more like himself. God has suffered far more than man ever did or ever will, and is therefore the great source of sympathy and consolation." (Improvement Era, Nov. 1918, p. 7.)
Isaiah, before the Savior's birth, referred to him as "a man of sorrows" (Isa. 53:3). Speaking in the Doctrine and Covenants of himself, the Savior said:
"Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink" (D&C 19:18).
Some are prone to feel that their afflictions are punishment. Roy Doxey states:
"The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that it is a false idea to believe that the saints will escape all the judgments—disease, pestilence, war, etc.—of the last days; consequently, it is an unhallowed principle to say that these adversities are due to transgression. …
"President Joseph F. Smith taught that it is a feeble thought to believe that the illness and affliction that come to us are attributable either to the mercy or the displeasure of God." (The Doctrine and Covenants Speaks, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1970, vol. 2, p. 373.)
Paul understood this perfectly. When referring to the Savior, he said:
"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Heb. 5:8–9).
For some, the suffering is extraordinary.
Stillman Pond was a member of the Second Quorum of Seventy in Nauvoo. He was an early convert to the Church, having come from Hubbardston, Massachusetts. Like others, he and his wife, Maria, and their children were harassed and driven out of Nauvoo. In September 1846, they became part of the great western migration. The early winter that year brought extreme hardships, including malaria, cholera, and consumption. The family was visited by all three of these diseases.
Maria contracted consumption, and all of the children were stricken with malaria. Three of the children died while moving through the early snows. Stillman buried them on the plains. Maria's condition worsened because of the grief, pain, and the fever of malaria. She could no longer walk. Weakened and sickly, she gave birth to twins. They were named Joseph and Hyrum, and both died within a few days.
The Stillman Pond family arrived at Winter Quarters and, like many other families, they suffered bitterly while living in a tent. The death of the five children coming across the plains to Winter Quarters was but a beginning.
The journal of Horace K. and Helen Mar Whitney verifies the following regarding four more of the children of Stillman Pond who perished:
"On Wednesday, the 2nd of December 1846, Laura Jane Pond, age 14 years, … died of chills and fever." Two days later on "Friday, the 4th of December 1846, Harriet M. Pond, age 11 years, … died with chills." Three days later, "Monday, the 7th of December, 1846, Abigail A. Pond, age 18 years, … died with chills." Just five weeks later, "Friday, the 15th of January, 1847, Lyman Pond, age 6 years, … died with chills and fever. Four months later, on the 17th of May, 1847, his wife Maria Davis Pond also died. Crossing the plains, Stillman Pond lost nine children and a wife. He became an outstanding colonizer in Utah, and became the senior president of the thirty-fifth Quorum of Seventy. (See Leon Y. and H. Ray Pond, comps., "Stillman Pond, a Biographical Sketch," in Sterling Forsyth Histories, typescript, Church Historical Dept. Archives, pp. 4–5.)
Having lost these nine children and his wife in crossing the plains, Stillman Pond did not lose his faith. He did not quit. He went forward. He paid a price, as have many others before and since, to become acquainted with God.
The Divine Shepherd has a message of hope, strength, and deliverance for all. If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless.
When we pluck the roses, we find we often cannot avoid the thorns which spring from the same stem.
Out of the refiner's fire can come a glorious deliverance. It can be a noble and lasting rebirth. The price to become acquainted with God will have been paid. There can come a sacred peace. There will be a reawakening of dormant, inner resources. A comfortable cloak of righteousness will be drawn around us to protect us and to keep us warm spiritually. Self-pity will vanish as our blessings are counted.
I now wish to conclude by testifying concerning Jesus as the Christ and the Divine Redeemer. He lives! His are the sweet words of eternal life. He is the Son of the Living God. This is his holy work and glory. This is his church. It is true. I am most grateful for this sacred knowledge. It is my cherished privilege and duty to so testify, which I humbly do. In the hallowed name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.


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Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Stayed Behind
6 comments:
I always find myself wondering what prompted the ancestors to "head west" - as they did kit and koodle (or should I say kith and kin?) one day in 1880-1. The entire family from granny to baby got in a wagon and headed out... Did they even know where they would end up?
I suspect sometimes - the grandparents went only because the children went (they were dependent on them for care in their advancing years - not social security).
My Uncle moved to California back shortly before WWII - because the climate was so much better for his skin condition. He never looked back (he did come back for summer visits) but he loved the dry desert -
What we wouldn't give to read or hear what was going through the minds of the ones that moved!RepliesIggy, I know that particular family story of yours has left a lot of unanswered questions. Of course, we wouldn't have had such questions if we never went looking for our roots. It's our desire to know that sometimes gets paid back with such upstart mysteries, unfortunately.
On the other hand--as you've already discovered on my behalf with a link you sent me--there are other resources that help piece together the story of what might have been on their minds as our relatives moved far from home. We are so rich with Internet sources that help us delve into finding the answer to those mysteries. And I'm so thankful for that.
In the 1890's many children died from diphtheria and scarlet fever.
I will guess that they were visiting California and the girl took sick and died..how horrible for the mother to have her child buried so far from her home but within the new home of her Grandparents. Of course this is just a guess..she could have been in an accident while on vacation with her parents. I hope you discover therest of the story:)I really like the way you continually question the data, asking the whys and hows. Are you perhaps thinking that between 1880 and 1890, Hattie became ill? So that Emma and her family would travel to California to seek medical advice, which was not successful in saving Hattie's life? But maybe I'm thinking of how we might do things today -- probably back then, on the heels of the Gold Rush, California wasn't so advanced.
Or perhaps Emma and her family went to California to visit the others, and while there, Hattie fell sick and died. In either case, very sad to lose a child.
I'm marching through the 1800s will all of my wider family (siblings and their children), and I see many, many children who died early in life -- not only as infants, but as grade school children, teenagers, young people in their 20s and 30s. It's hard to imagine a mindset in which these mortality rates would seem "normal."
Thanks for this thoughtful post!RepliesThanks for reminding me of that possible scenario, Mariann. I do know that during that time span, people from the north central regions with tuberculosis did travel west for relief of symptoms--and hope for a cure--from tuberculosis. I transcribed a number of letters from friends of our Tully family in Chicago who were faced with that same situation. They, however, generally went to the southwest territories of Arizona, New Mexico--and some even to Colorado.
That might have been the same for Hattie. I don't know yet. The air is certainly dry enough out here, although that added variable of altitude (which one would get in New Mexico or Colorado) would be missing in southern California.
It is hard, indeed, to put ourselves in the shoes of those living in the 1890s--adopting that mindset, as you mention. It's been fascinating enlarging that "Big Picture" to take in the milieu of life in that place at that time--to help re-calibrate my expectancies about what life was like for these families.


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New Earthquake App Brings American Red Cross Safety Information to Mobile Devices
Features include real-time alerts and "Shake Zone Impact Map," simplifying quake data for smart phone, tablet users
American Red Cross, Southern Missouri Region 9/25/2012 — Today, the American Red Cross has launched its official Earthquake App, putting lifesaving information right in the hands of people who live in or who visit earthquake prone areas.
This free app-–available in English or Spanish-–is the third in a series created by the American Red Cross, the nation's leader in emergency preparedness, for use on both iPhone and Android platforms. The Earthquake App comes on the heels of the highly successful First Aid and Hurricane apps, which have been downloaded more than 1 million times.
"This newest app gives instant access to local and real time information on what to do before, during and after earthquakes." said Jamie Koehler, Red Cross Emergency Service Director for the Southeast Missouri Chapter "Residents will receive earthquake notifications and can monitor activity where other family and friends reside. People who do not live in earthquake-prone areas can have peace of mind knowing you'll have instant information about loved ones." Koehler was recently appointed to serve on the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission. As part of the Red Cross team in the Cape Girardeau area she knows firsthand about the importance of being prepared for earthquakes.
New "Shake Zone Impact Maps" show give users personalized local impact information to help them make crucial decisions.
Features of the app include:
•Earthquake notifications showing the epicenter, magnitude and intensity maps;
•One touch "I'm safe" messaging that allows users to broadcast reassurance to family and friends via social media outlets that they are out of harm's way;
•Options to view the app in English or Spanish based on user handset settings;
•Locations of open Red Cross shelters;
•Simple steps and checklists people can use to create a family emergency plan;
•Preloaded content that gives users instant access to critical action steps, even without mobile connectivity;
•Information on events that may happen after earthquakes such as fires and tsunamis;
•Toolkit with flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm; and
•Badges users can earn through interactive quizzes and share on social networks.
Over the past three months, the Red Cross has made great strides in putting vital information in the hands of people who need it during emergencies. More than 1 million people have downloaded the First Aid and Hurricane Apps. People have used the content in our First Aid App to control bleeding, care for broken bones and help people having seizures. Our Hurricane App was used to find Red Cross shelters and to send "I'm safe" messages during Hurricane Isaac. National Red Cross experts in health, safety and preparedness have thoroughly reviewed and field tested the information and advice provided in Red Cross apps.
"A recent Red Cross survey found that apps have tied social media as the fourth most popular way for people to get information during emergencies, making the Red Cross app development effort even more important," said Nigel Holderby, Chief Communications Officer for the Southern Missouri Region.
The Earthquake App can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. Apps can help prepare people for disasters, but they are not a substitute for training. Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED training empowers people to know how to respond to emergencies in case advanced medical help is delayed. People can visit redcross.org/takeaclass for course information and to register.
The Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters each year and we help people get ready to respond to emergencies by providing these apps for free. The Red Cross needs the help of the public to continue this lifesaving effort. People can make a donation to the Red Cross by going to redcross.org, texting REDCROSS to 90999 or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies more than 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at blog.redcross.org.